Did you know that there’s a strike on?

 

 

Two more weeks and the Truss v Sunak show will finally be over. The MSM are trying hard to flag the waning interest of us peasants with reports that, ecshully, swing voters, i.e. those without preference for one party or another, prefer BJ as PM. More on that below. We also note the ‘class divide’ between Broadsheets and Red Tops. Then lot writes about ‘cost of living crisis’ while the others go with the ‘Fury fury’, about a cousin of the boxing champ Fury having been knifed (link).

There is one news item which ought to have caught the interest of the dead-tree-press but hasn’t, as of yet: the strike of the Felixstowe dock workers. The print MSM are amazingly reticent. They seem to think that the reports by BBC and Sky yesterday were sufficient. 

One might have thought that this strike was sufficiently serious, especially since we’re all being told about rising inflation, that this morning’s papers would lead with this strike, but there’s only the DM which has given this strike top billing in their online edition, under the headline:

“Militant unions closing down docks at Felixstowe ‘will lead to empty supermarket shelves until CHRISTMAS’: Fears that huge eight-day walkout at UK’s biggest container port ‘will cause shortages, disrupt £700m of trade and send inflation through the roof’ (link)

One has to scroll far down to find the relevant report in the Times where we read:

“Nearly 2,000 workers have started an eight-day strike at the country’s biggest container port.Members of Unite at Felixstowe in Suffolk have walked out for the first time since 1989 in a dispute over pay.”  (link, paywalled)


Perhaps the reason for this lack of reporting can be found in these quotes: 

“Last night a senior government source said that there should be “very little” disruption as a result of the strike and insisted there was room for manoeuvre in the supply chain. […] Logistics UK, the freight transport body, said that it was “not expecting massive disruption” as Felixstowe is not a “just-in-time” delivery port. A spokesman said: “Everything coming in is scheduled well in advance. If it [the strike] goes on for longer than eight days then those using the port will be looking at alternative routes, but at the moment there is plenty of stock in the supply chain.” (link, paywalled)

It’s strange: this strike, the strike of the rail workers and tube train workers are all being treated as just some squabble by ‘greedy union bosses’ which don’t affect anybody because “we” are all WFH. It’s strange that no Labour ‘spokesperson’ is in the headlines about this strike.

I wonder what would happen if dockworkers elsewhere were also going to strike. I also wonder why Labour isn’t making a huge song-and-dance about this. Are they frit of being seen as driving inflation were they come out in support of those strikers? Odd, very odd.

And so to the final throes of that ‘wannabe PM race’. Apaprently, ‘swing voters’ who are uncommitted and are, by definition, not affiliated with any party, would prefer BJ as PM. The DM came out with these findings last night (link). These swing voters become ‘conservative’ voters and even ‘Tory supporters’ in each new subtitle. In a final spin, the leadership race is then described as having damaged the Tory Party. The Times, publishing their article at 12.01am today, reports:

“Conservative voters have “sellers’ remorse” over the ousting of Boris Johnson and would prefer him as prime minister over the two rivals vying to be his successor, focus group research and polling for The Times reveals today. Interviews with floating voters in marginal constituencies found little enthusiasm for either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak becoming the next Conservative leader.” (link, paywalled)

It seems the brilliant Westminster editors of either publication are incapable of distinguishing between ‘floating swing voters’ who haven’t made up their minds and ‘conservative voters’ who actually have.

Furthermore, as we all know, and as Westminster political editors surely must know: swing voters are deciding at the last minute how to vote and are influenced by such eminently political considerations as the latest dress malfunction, headlined in their morning papers.

Let’s not even mention that the current PM has damaged the Tory Party all by himself, with the help of his lovely wifey. Or so the MSM told us, ever since Partygate. I doubt swing voters would prefer BJ when they see the photos of him and wifey in this morning’s DM (link). Warning: you need a very strong stomach if you want to look …

I leave you with a collection of reports in the DT. They all come under ‘you couldn’t make it up’. For the record, here’s exhibit No 1, under the headline:

“GPs could write prescriptions for cheaper energy bills under plans drafted by Treasury – Proposal is ridiculed by Labour and medical unions who say doctors ‘do not have the time or skills to do the work of the welfare system’ (paywalled link)

As far as I can make out, this is the Treasury’s civil serpents’ exercise of ‘thinking outside the box’, it’s not even a proper proposal yet. But it’s good that Labour and GPs have something to moan about:

“It beggars belief that government ministers think it is appropriate to suggest GPs undertake this work,” said Dr David Wrigley from the BMA. […] “The Government has not discussed this with us in any form. Floating these sorts of proposals via the media is deeply unprofessional. We completely reject any suggestion that GPs do this work.” (paywalled link)

He’s right: this sort of proposal shouldn’t have got into the MSM – but then, ‘sources’ must now be desperate to feed something to their MSM ‘handlers’, after the ‘dry’ weeks of holidays. Why mandarins need to ‘consult’ pressure groups before daring to think about proposals which may not see the light of day – well, we’re governed by NGOs and lobbyists, so obviously, nothing must be done without their say-so.

Unsurprisingly, Labour is against it because of the ‘pressure on the NHS’. Funny – why don’t Labour and the GPs simply ask for ‘moar money’? I’m sure they’d prescribe ‘money for warmth’ at the drop of a hat!

Item No 2 is a bit, ahem, stinky. It’s about unintended consequences. The DT reports that

“Human sewage may be needed to fertilise crops as global sulphur shortage looms – Sulphur production has dwindled as a result of the global move away from fossil fuels, a new study shows” (paywalled link).

Well, perhaps the water bosses could redirect the sewage spewed onto our beaches? It might even become a nice little earner, making use of all that … ahem. The Chinese have collected night soil for this purpose for millennia. But wait – would doing this not come under ‘cultural appropriation’? Difficult, innit.

And so to the last time in today’s ‘you couldn’t make it up’ category: “Tesco under fire for selling fruit not suitable for vegans” (paywalled link). It’s not really clickbait. Vegans complain because the wax conserving citrus fruit contains shellac, a resin which certain bugs secrete.

Con modern vegans not even touch those fruit? Oh – they moan because they cannot use the zest of those oranges and lemons for cooking! The funny thing is that nobody does that anyway! Any cook knows that one always uses unwaxed lemons or oranges for zest. That’s been common knowledge for decades. Still, the poor things have found something to wail about:

“Those looking for a strictly plant-based diet have to buy organic citrus fruits to avoid the wax. Beeswax is a common treatment for citrus fruit as it helps keep fruit fresher for longer. However, the growing popularity of plant-based diets means the supermarket is now working with growers to develop an alternative wax that avoids shellac.” (paywalled link)

Yes, this is the brave new vegan world: citrus fruit for everybody need to be treated in an ‘vegan’ way and never mind that they may go off much sooner. “We” grow our own citrus fruit now, thanks to ‘global warming’, correct? And who cares that a ‘new’, alternative wax will certainly be more expensive and raise the price of said fruit. Clearly, this “cost of living crisis” doesn’t affect vegans. 

We truly live in a mad clowns’ world …



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